Getting off the sofa three times a week could reduce a person’s chances of becoming depressed, a study has found.
Researchers discovered people who were physically active in their leisure time were less likely to suffer from depression, with every weekly session of activity reducing the risks.
Those who exercised three times weekly could lower their risk of becoming depressed by 16 per cent, the University College London study found.
The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, also found those presenting symptoms of depression tended to be less active, particularly at a young age.
Researchers followed more than 11,000 people born in 1958, recording their depressive symptoms and levels of activity at the ages of 23, 33, 42 and 50.
Lead author of the study, Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira of the UCL Institute of Child Health, said the results showed physical activity could ‘protect against’ depression.
She added: ‘Leisure time physical activity has a protective effect against depression. If an adult between their twenties and forties who isn’t physically active became active three times per week, they would reduce their risk of depression by approximately 16 per cent.
‘Importantly, this effect was seen across the whole population and not just in those at high risk of clinical depression. The more physically active people were, the fewer depressive symptoms they reported.’
The study also showed that depressive symptoms could be a ‘barrier’ to physical activity, particularly in young adults, she said.
Senior author Professor Chris Power added: ‘There is some evidence to suggest that activity can be used as a treatment for depression, but our study goes beyond examining the depressed group and suggests a benefit of activity to curb depressive symptoms in the general population.’